Tube container and closure therefor



Sept. 3, 1929. F. L. BETTS TUBE CONTAINER AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Filed rom. 9, 192e Patented Slept. 3, 1929. l

f UNITEDA STATES PATENT oF-FICE.

FRANK L. BETTS, OF UNIVERSITY CITY, MISSOURI.

TUIIBE CO'NTAINER AND CLOSURE THEREFOR. I

Application nled October 9, 1926. Serial No. 140,554.

My invention relates to tube'containers and sion 3 formed in the upper end thereof, as closures therefor and more particularl t fully shown in Fig. 8, and has, preferably at tube containers which are collapsible an are the bottom of the depression 3, a discharge otherwise adapted to be filled with plastic openin 4 leading from the interior of the 5 material such as cream, paste, paint, shaving tube. eated in the depression 3 is a valve 60 and dental cream and olntment. member 5, preferably su stantially spherical Heretofore such tubes have usually beenA in shape,l as shown in detail in Fig. 6, and rovided with a cover threaded on the upper which has a channel 6 cut inwardly from the end of the neck of the tube and when it was outer surface thereof to extend as shown in lo desired to use some of the material contained Fig. 4 between nearly diametrically opposite 65 in the tube the cover had to be unserewe-d points on the valve member. The valve memfrom the neck before the material Could be ber 5 has a projection 7 extending outwardly expelled from the tube and after the required therefrom and adapted to pass through the amount of material had been obtained it slot 8 cut in the cover 9. The cover 9 has the was necessary to screw the cap back on the inner surface thereof formed to substantially 70 tube to keep the material remaining in the follow the contour of the upper part of the tube from being hardened or otherwise renvalve member 5 and is otherwise adapted and dered unfit for use by contact with the air. arranged so that when in place it will main- Tube containers were necessarily of cheap tain the valve member on its seat in the deconstruction and therefore after the caps pression 3. The cover 9 and the neck 2 are, 75 have been removed and replace-d on the tube preferably, threaded so that the cover may a. number of times the threads often became be screwed onto the neck. damaged and prevented the cap from being I prefer that the channel 6 shall extend properly screwed on the tube. Also, the from a point near the projection 7 and be arcaps were often lost. f ranged substantially in line eircumferential- 80 Several attempts have -been made. to proly with the projection as shown in the figures,

vide a closure for tube containers which and that side walls of the slot 8 each lie in would obviate these difficulties but in each a plane substantially parallel with the vercase the closures were usually too expensive tical axis of the cover 9 for the purposes more to manufacture and assemble or were inopfully hereinafter set forth. 85 erative when repeatedly used and therefore In assembling the tube container and the were commercially impractical. closure the valve member 5 is seated in the The objects of my invention are to rovide de ression 3 with the projection 7 of the a tube container with a closure t erefor va ve member extending upwardly. The which will be inexpensive to manufacture cover 9 is placedso that the projection 7 ex- 9o and to provideat-ube container withaclosure tends through the slot 8 and the cover is therefor which may be easily and quickly op- ,scrwed onto the neck 2. Since the projection erated to open the tube to allow material 7extends through the slot'8 the valve member vtherein to be expelled therefrom or be op- 5 will be turned with the cover 4when the laterated to close the tube. i ter is being screwed in place. The cover 9 95 With these and other objects in view one is screwed down until the valve member 5 is embodiment of my invention is fully shown in proper position on its seat. The cover may in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. lbe adjusted on the threaded portion of the l is a top view of the tube container with the neck 2 to allow for slight differences in size closure therefor; Fig. 2 is a side view; Fig. 3 of the valve member 5. 100

is a top view of the tube with the closure re- The operatlon of my device is as follows moved; Figs. 4 and 5 are sections along the When it is desired to expel material from the lines 4-4 in Fig. 1 and with the valve memtube 1, the projection 7 is moved until it is ber of the closure in open and closed posiat the inner end of the slot 8, as shown in tions, respectively; and Fig. 6 is a view of Fig. 4, when the channel 6 will provide a 105 the valve member. passage from the discharge opening 4 to the Referring to the figures, the collapsible slot 8. When enough material has been extube l has formed on the upper end thereof a pelled from the tube and it is desired to close neck 2, which in this form of my invention the tube,the projection7 is moved to the other ,55 has a substantially heini-spherical depres.- or outer end of the slot 8 thereby moving 110 -slot 8, and no other turning movement of the valve will be allowed. .Also if the valve and the lcover 9 are formed as described and shown and the movement of the valve is always in a plane substantially parallel to the side walls of the slot 8, when the projection 7 is moved in the slot 8 there will be no tendency for the movement to turn thev cover and thereby to unscrew or to tighten the cover 9. Further, with the channel Gland the projection 7 arranged in relation with one another as described and shown, when the pass sage between the openings 4 and 8 is closed the valvemember will be moved to bring the channel downwardly into the depression 3 and, therefore, the edge formed by the bottom wall of the channel and the adjacent surface of the valve member near the projection 7 will act as a cutting edge to cut off the material that has already been expelled through theslot 8.

It will be readily understood that I do not propose to limit my invention to the exact details of construction shown in the drawings and described above since the parts may4 be changed in size and shape within wide limits without deviating from the spirit of my invention as included in the claims below. For instance, the valve member 5 may be in the shape of a segment of asphere rather than a sphere as shown. Likewise, in some cases the valve member 5 may be provided with an opening therethrough rather than the channel 6 cut inwardly from the surface thereof.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a tube container having a neck provided with a discharge opening therethrough, of a closure therefor comprising a cover engaging said neck and having an elongated opening therein, a valve member movably mounted between said cover and said neck and having a projection extending therefrom through said opening in said cover, said valve member having a channel therein and being formed and arranged to be movable by a movement of said projection into a position whereby said channel will vprovide a passage from said opening in said neck to the opening in said cover through which material contained in Asaid tube' may be expelled therefrom, said valve member also being movable into a position` to prevent the expulsion of said material and said elongated opening in said cover being positioned and arranged whereby whensaid projection is moved in said opening the side walls of said opening will`guide said projection to move said valve into one of said positions.

2. The combination with a tube container having a neck provided with a discharge opening therethrough, of a closure therefor comprising a cover engaging said neck and having a slot therein, a valve member seated` between said cover and said neck and havinvF a projection extending therefrom througli said slot in said cover, and said valve member having a channel therein and being formed and arranged so that when said projection is moved to one end of said slot said valve member is moved into a position whereby said channel will provide a passage from said opening in said neck to the slot in said cover through which material contained in said tube may be expelled therefrom, and said valve member also being formed and arranged so that when said projection is moved to the other end of said slot said valve will be moved into a position to prevent expulsion ontY said material. L

3. The-combination with a tube container having a neck provided with a discharge opening therethrough of a closure therefor comprising a cover threaded on said neck and having an elongated opening therein, a valve member movably mounted between said cover and said neck and having. a projection extending therefrom through said opening in said cover. said valve member having a channel therethrough and being formed and arrar ged to be movable by a movement of said projection into a position whereby said channel will provide a passage from said opening in said neck to\ the opening in said cover through which material contained in said tube may be expelled therefrom, and said valve member also being movable into a position to prevent the expulsion of said material, and said projection and said elongated opening being arranged so that said projection is movable only in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of said cover.

4. The combination with a tube container having a neck provided with a discharge opening therethrough and haying a substantially hemi-spherical depression extending inwardly from the upper end thereof, of a closure therefor comprising a substantially spherical valve member seated -in said depression, a cover having the inner surface thereof arranged to follow the contour of said valve member and otherwise adapted to maintain said valve member on its seat, said cover having a slot therein and said valve member having a projection extending through said slot, and said valve member having a channel therein and being formed and arranged so that when said projection is moved to the inner end of said slot said valve member is moved into a position whereby said'channel will provide a passage for the expulsion of material from said tube and said valve also being formed and arranged so that when said projection is moved to the outer end of said slot said valve member will prevent the Vexpulsion from said tube of saidmaterial.

5. The combination with a tube container having a neck provided with a discharge opening therethrough and having a substantially heini-spherical depression extending inwardly from the upper end thereof, of a closure therefor comprising a substantially spherical valve member seated in said depression, a cover having the inner surface. thereof arranged to follow the contour of said valve member and being threaded on said neck, said cover having a slot therein whose side walls extend in a plane substantially parallcl to the axis of said cover, said valve member having a projection extending therefrom through said slot, and said valve member also having a channel in the surface thereof extending between nearly diametrically oppo site points and arranged whereby when said projection is moved to the inner end of said slot said channel will extend from the opening in said neck to the slot in said coverto provide a passage through which materlal contained in said tube may be expelled therefrom and whereby when said projection is moved to the outer end of said slot expulsion of said material will be prevented.v

In witness whereof I have signedmy name to the foregoing specification.

FRANK L. BETTS. 

